Effects of shape and spin on the tidal disruption of P/Shoemaker-Levy 9

I derive an approximate criterion for the tidal disruption of a “rubble pile” body as it passes close to a planet (or the sun): % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaGaeqyWdi3aaS% baaSqaaiaacogaaeqaaOGaeyisIS7aamWaaeaacaaIYaGaeqyWdihd% caWGWbGccaGGDbWaaeWaaeaadaWcaaqaaiaadkfamiaadchaaOqaai% aadkhaaaaacaGLOaGaayzkaaWaaWbaaSqabeaacaaIZaaaaOGaey4k% aSYaaeWaaeaadaWcaaqaaiabeM8a3bqaaiabeM8a3XGaaGimaaaaaO% GaayjkaiaawMcaamaaCaaaleqabaGaaGOmaaaaaOGaay5waiaaw2fa% amaabmaabaWaaSaaaeaacaWGHbaabaGaamOyaaaaaiaawIcacaGLPa% aacaGGSaaaaa!5229!\\rho _c \approx \left {2\rho p]\left( {\frac{{Rp}}{r}} \right)^3 + \left( {\frac{\omega }{{\omega 0}}} \right)^2 } \right]\left( {\frac{a}{b}} \right),\] where ? _c is the critical density below which the body will be disrupted, ? _p is the density of the planet (or sun), R _p is the radius of the planet, r is the periapse distance, Ω is the rotation frequency of the body, Ω₀ is the surface orbit frequency about a body of unit density, and a/b is the axis ratio of the body, considered as a prolate ellipsoid. For P/Shoemaker Levy 9, in its passage close to Jupiter in 1992, this expression suggests that the critical density is ~1.2 for a spherical, non-spinning nucleus, but could be >2.5 for a 2:1 elongate body with a typical rotation period of ~10 hours.